Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenn Gold. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jenn, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

My father is my hero, he always has been. He was a Marine for nearly 38 years and then he continued his service as a contractor for another twelve. He was the toughest, smartest, most compassionate man a daughter could ask for. The best way to describe his personality is that he was half part stoic-badass and half part empathetic-tender-heart.

His career definitely required long hours and travel, but regardless of how much it took him away from us, we were really proud of him and what it meant him being a Marine.  His service was such a major part of his identity and our family’s identity. After college my sister and I both went into the military; she went into the Air Force and I went into the Army National Guard.

To our devastation though, last year he died from cancer. He was diagnosed with stage four, malignant melanoma in 2019 and fought like hell against it for two years. We enrolled him in numerous clinical trials across the east coast, but nothing seemed to slow the progression of the cancer.

I moved back home to help my mom take care of him, and being back in NC is actually what led me to photography. I had always been interested in learning it, but I was never really inspired to dedicate time towards it. Once I moved back home with my parents it became a daily ritual for me to photograph the sunrise and sunset. My mom would come out with me to shoot the sunset and it became our daily caregiver reprieve.

I can’t begin to enumerate the things he’s taught me; everything from changing a flat tire to climbing a rope. I know I’m like him in many ways; my drive, my dedication, my compassion, my sense of humor – I know those all come from him.

He always took care of his family and looked out for others in need. He really saw the best in people and was a big believer in second chances. He had a huge heart and I try to adopt more parts of his personality as I get older. I feel like on my best day, I am my fathers daughter.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jenn Gold and I’m a self proclaimed artistic photographer and also new to some woodworking craft. I just recently got into live edge woodworking with my boyfriend and I started photography right when the pandemic hit. Prior to that I was a nurse, prior to that I was in the military, and prior to that I did humanitarian work in Afghanistan. My family jokes that I can’t commit to a career field (they’re not wrong).

Growing up I was always a little creative, my mom had me in summer art classes where I learned how to draw and I took private lessons once I got a little older. Looking back on some of the sketch books I kept, I wasn’t half bad. But I never stuck with it. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties when my curiosity of photography began. I was working overseas with two of my friends, one of whom was a professional photographer. His talent was so inspiring. He would see the same things I would see all day long, but he would capture so much emotion and thought in his photographs. His work made me look at things differently.

A lot of years passed before I got my own camera and found inspiration to take my own photos. That happened when I moved back to NC in 2020. Being on the coast you have sunrises and sunsets to chase, not to mention the ocean. So my photography journey began.

I was mainly shooting on land using long exposure techniques. I really like the look and feel of long exposures, they’re so whimsical and mysterious and they allow you to capture motion in your photos. Then I quickly became obsessed with waves and ocean photography. I loved it so much, that one day I found myself shooting photos in the ocean with a water housing for my camera. I’m in my element in the water. I love shooting waves from that perspective, they look like mountains. I also picked up surfing this last year, so it’s been a lot of fun to get into the water and shoot my friends during dawn patrol.

I consider myself an artistic photographer because I like to use photoshop and movement techniques to transform photos. I like to take them over the top so they don’t look like something from a camera. I think the best compliments I get are when people think my photos are paintings.

The past couple months I’ve also started to learn wood working; mainly live edge and resin accent tables and charcuterie boards. My boyfriend used to be a carpenter so he’s been teaching me a ton but also it’s a skill my father always had. I’ve been able to use his old tools and his work shed to create my own pieces, which helps me to feel close to him as I’m building.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I made the biggest pivot of my life two years ago, right when the pandemic hit. My father was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma around the same time. He wasn’t a candidate for curative treatment because the cancer had progressed so aggressively. Instead we had to find, apply for, and travel to a variety of different clinical trials along the east coast.

I was living with my sister and working full-time in Maryland at a tech company and decided to take a sabbatical from my job. I moved back in with my parents and helped my mom take care of my dad. The decision to move back home to help my family was easy; mentally adapting to moving back in with my parents while my dad was getting progressively worse, was not. Photography became my outlet.

It also became my gateway to other activities and to meeting people. Since I started photography I also started surfing. Our surf community on the island reminds me of the community I had in the military; a bunch of like minded people, chasing adrenaline, supporting and looking out for one another. I’ve met some of my closest friends in it.

The photography community has been equally supportive and outgoing. I met one of my current best friends when he taught me how to shoot a long lens. And now I’m starting into woodworking and the community is no different.

Losing my dad last year was absolutely devastating to me and my family and I am beyond grateful to be in the place that I am now, in the communities that I have. I have no intention of leaving this and going back to Maryland. And I’d like to think that my decision to see where this creative lifestyle takes me has been largely influenced by my father.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Well this is going to sound super sappy, but I think the most rewarding aspect is when something I create speaks to someone. It’s pretty incredible when that happens, it’s like connecting with someone over a shared experience.

I was at a festival a few weeks ago and I met a woman who had lost someone very close to her. She was admiring some of my surfing photos and said that the person she lost really loved surfing; it was a huge part of their identity.
She shared a little more about her loss and then started to leave. I followed her out and handed her one of my favorite surf prints. I explained to her the backstory of what the print signified to me and why I created it (which had a lot to do with me grieving my dad) and she suddenly pulled me into her, hugged me and thanked me.

It was a short, but powerful moment and I really felt connected to her.

Creating artwork that gives people reactions, or enables them to put an image to a feeling, has to be the most rewarding aspect of creating for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jennsnaps.com
• Instagram: @jennsnapsgold
• Facebook: @jennsnapsgold

Image Credits
The photo of me in the first upload, laughing with my camera and fins, was taken by Rachel Carter. The photo of me in the second batch upload, with my camera and fins walking into the water by the pier, was taken by Paul Andercyk.